Abe's Long Underwear

After several years, I received last week an email from Spencer Hastings. He had first contacted me in March, 2018 with information regarding a lithograph he had viewed on a visit to the Springfield Art Museum and which he thought would be of interest to readers of this blog. It was a scene of a young farmer by renown artist Grant Wood, known primarily for his work, American Gothic. The man had apparently been awakened in the middle of the night where he resided, presumably at his farm house. He was depicted carefully descending the staircase from his upstairs bedroom, barefoot and wearing a white union suit. 

In this, his most recent email to me, Spencer followed up on my latest Union Suit Fan posting, "Presidential Underwear." That posting of August 9, 2023 was primarily about John F. Kennedy's union suit. But, I had also included reference to other presidents' long underwear, including that of Abraham Lincoln. Therein, I referenced past postings about Abe and his sons and the type of underwear they may have worn. I had concluded that one could just not determine whether our 16th president had worn union suits or two piece long underwear because union suits had not been mass produced during his lifetime. There is some speculation that union suits had been individually made for women and men.

Spencer provided commentary and photos based on his recent visit to the Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield, Illinois, not to be confused with the Springfield Art Museum which is located in Springfield, Missouri where a collection of Grant Wood's lithographs are housed. Here is his account:

“Good Morning, Chris. You may remember me for having contacted you regarding a particular lithograph created by Grant Wood, entitled “Midnight Alarm.” I have enjoyed your union suit blogs for several years now and wanted to weigh-in on your more recent topic, a discussion of Abraham Lincoln's long underwear.

My wife and son recently enjoyed at visit to the Lincoln Museum across the street from his library in Springfield, Illinois, just a few block's from the state capital building. Having visited a number of presidential museums, this one is at the top of our list. I highly recommend it to you and your readers. 

The museum has several wax figure exhibits depicting the life of our greatest president, if I may say so. In one exhibit, a young Abe Lincoln is working inside a general store selling piece-good material to a customer. He is depicted wearing home-spun clothing, including a modest white shirt and pair of britches being held up with one suspender, typical for the time. 

His underwear can be seen poking out at the collar of his shirt. It certainly appears to be the top of a union suit. The single button and neck seam look similar to union suits which have been purchased and worn by men and boys these past 150 years, and which are still available today with little change. Lincoln's underwear, or at least that which can be viewed in this exhibit, looks very similar to the union suits you and I wear in this day and age.

A docent, working in that room of the museum, patiently listened to my review of your postings reflecting as to whether Mr. Lincoln wore union suits or not. The kindly older gentleman noted that he had studied extensively and was well versed in the life and times of Lincoln. Yet, he just could not confirm if Lincoln wore union suits. He wasn't even sure if the wax figure in front of us was actually wearing a union suit or a “henley” undershirt and drawers under his clothing. He did confirm that Lincoln and all men and boys of his time wore long underwear as shorter versions would not be available for decades to come.

Another scene showed a young Abe Lincoln late at night studying by the light of his cabin fireplace. At the foot of his bed was a jumble of clothes, including red flannel underwear. Again, there is no certainty whether or not the underwear depicted was a union suit.

So Chris, even though I wish I could put to rest this particular type of presidential underwear, it does not appear possible, at least based on these particularly captured scenes, located prominently in the Lincoln Museum. Indeed, history may never shed light on this subject.

Your friend and fellow union suit wearer, 

Spencer Hastings."

Many thanks, Spencer, for your latest contribution. I suppose the subject of Honest Abe's underwear is honestly pretty insignificant compared to the considerable list of consequential contributions Abraham Lincoln made to this country. But, you probably agree with me that it's interesting to think that a president and his underwear is not different from you and me. 

It hardly seems possible that I had not heard from Spencer in over five years when he presented to me and the followers of this blog "Midnight Alarm."  In case you missed it, I'll reprint it here from April 4, 2018:

 

Grant Wood, Union Suit Fan

Spencer Hastings, Guest Contributor

Chris, The Springfield Art Museum located in Springfield, Missouri presently has an art exhibit which I believe would be of interest to the followers of your Union Suit blog. The museum has recently obtained two more lithographs by artist, Grant Wood (1891-1942). It now owns all 19 of his works of this art form. Wood is most famous for his iconic painting, American Gothic. As background, Wood was born and reared in the state of Iowa and became world renowned in the mid-1930's for his depiction primarily of mid-western farming life and American values. His paintings and lithographs were termed “regionalism” and became very popular during the Great Depression.

A lithograph is a printing process that uses a flat stone or a metal plate on which image areas are depicted using an oily or greasy substance allowing ink to adhere. The quality is very good and has the advantage of selling more cheaply than original oils. Wood and other lithograph artists sold their works for about $5.00 each in the 1930's as members of the Associated American Artists. Regular folks could purchase these works at a reasonable price and own art by a famous artist of their time. The current Springfield Museum exhibit features themes of this period and examines the role and popularity of American printmaking.

The particular lithograph that may be of interest to your readers is entitled “Midnight Alarm.” This 1939 Lithograph On Paper features a young man, possibly a farmer, carefully descending a flight of stairs in the middle of the night barefoot and wearing only his union suit. His face is a “mask of concern” as his tense feet carefully grope their way downward. The young man holds a hastily lit lantern as he attempts to discern the unfamiliar noise that woke him from a deep sleep. The lamp's bright illumination contrasts masterfully a sense of the young man's alertness and dramatic fear of the unknown. Wood's attention to detail is remarkable right down to the young man's eyebrows and the cuffs and buttons on his union suit.

The man’s facial features point to the use of a model, quite possibly twenty year old John Arthur Mooney. Mooney was a photographer living in Charles City, Iowa at the time. He and Wood were contemporaries who were acquainted with each other. A photograph of young Mooney shows that he had the same eyes, ears, high forehead, cheek bones, and curly hair as the man in the lithograph. These physical traits are so similar as to be more than conjecture. Mooney was an avid art collector as well as a popular photographer. He eventually owned two of Wood’s lithographs, “Honorary Degree” and “Tree Planting Group,” inscribed “To Arthur Mooney” and signed “Grant Wood.” Most certainly at the time both the artist and model wore union suits as a matter of course.

The resemblance is so similar that the model must have been John Mooney. 

Several art critics have examined “Midnight Alarm” as one would expect. One overly simplistic review sees “humor” in his 1939 lithograph. “Wood found amusement with the idea of long underwear. The face of the man descending the stairs seems alert and ready to act as his ominous shadow follows him down the staircase. However, there is a sense of vulnerability about the man as Wood has chosen to comically depict him in his long underwear.”

Vulnerability, yes. Comically, perhaps not so much. The critic's opinion is unmerited if one remembers the time period in which this lithograph was developed. Men typically slept in their long underwear or night shirts. Although union suits today are considered comical to many, in mid-twentieth century America one-piece long underwear was worn by most men and boys especially in rural areas. Farm houses had no central heat, many had no electricity or indoor plumbing. This was the era on which Wood's work was demonstrative. Union suits were an essential part of Americans' wardrobe and not considered humorous.

Few works of art depict long underwear as intimately as Wood's lithograph, "Midnight Alarm." It is noteworthy that he planned another work featuring a union suit. This according to his sister, Nan Wood Graham. The 1939 lithograph has a relationship to a painting Wood considered and had even titled, “The Bath -1880.” This oil was to feature a man clad only in long, red flannel underwear preparing to take a bath. Miss Graham was quoted as saying many years later that “Wood made a considerable effort to locate an authentic pair of red long underwear for the work.” It is not known whether he actually made purchase of that red flannel underwear.

Wood advertised for a subject in Iowa and other mid-west newspapers during this time. He identified a young Cedar Rapids model to pose in the red union suit. However, his name is lost to history. John Mooney was possibly another model considered for “The Bath – 1880.” 

Unfortunately, according to his sister, Wood abandoned the proposed painting. He became angered by local press coverage that suggested the planned work was “a publicity stunt.” Wood may have been even more dismayed of possible newspaper reports, accurately or not, revealing that he had an unusual interest in men’s underwear, an interest unremarkable in today's world.   ... Spencer Hastings.

Spencer, I thank you for this insight into Grant Wood's lithograph, “Midnight Alarm,” and for bringing it to my attention. This lithograph is sure to be of interest to Union Suit Fans. I appreciate you taking the time to share.